Pressure adjusting device



M- CASERTA I 2,477,720

PRESSURE ADJUSTING DEVIC E Q Filed April 17, 1944 36 44 as R 3722 1E 244/; 42 a 9 4/ l3 Michele Caserta Patented Aug. 2, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRESSURE ADJUSTING DEVICE Michele Caserta, Detroit, Mich.

Application April 1'7, 1944, Serial No. 531,438

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a pressure adjusting device and more particularly to such a device for use in a relief and by-pass valve assembly such as employed in pumps for the transfer of fuel in aircraft.

The present invention constitutes an improvement of the diaphragm adjusting device described in my copending application Serial No. 512,891, filed December 4, 1943, now Patent No. 2,375,076, May 1, 1945. The diaphragm adjusting mechanism disclosed in that application includes a pair of washers for confining the spring the pressure of which against the diaphragm is to be adjusted. To effect such adjustments, one of the washers is threaded upon a screw which can be turned to thread the washer therealong. It has been found in practice that with the washer threaded directly upon the adjusting screw, there is a tendency for the coiled spring to transmit other than truly axial forces only. This seems to be due to the fact that as the spring is being compressed or the compression thereon is being lessened, one end or the other of the spring will tend to be defiected and thereby transmit a thrust that is not truly axial.

l. have now found that by mounting the spring confining washer freely upon the adjusting screw and providing a nut threaded on the screw and in self-adjusting bearing relationship to the washer, the diflicult experienced in the former type of construction is entirely eliminated. In the present construction both of the spring confining washers have a limited measure of self-adjustabilty, so that as the compression on the spring is increased or diminished, both washers are able 3 to accommodate any deflection that may occur in the spring ends and thus prevent the transmission of any non-axial forces to the diaphragm itself.

It is therefore an important object of this inwhich my pressure adjusting device is illustrated as being associated;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line IIII of Figure l, with parts in elevation;

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of the pressure adjusting mechanism shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line IV-IV of Figure 3.

The reference numeral 50 (Figs. 1 and 2) indicates generally an aircraft fuel pump with which a pressure adjusting device of my invention is particularly adapted to be associated. Said pump l0 comprises a pump casing l I, a valve housing l2 mounted thereon and valve housing cover I 3 secured to said housing l2 and to the pump casing II by means of bolts and nuts 14. The pump here illustrated is of the rotary vane type, the bore of the pump casing ll being provided with a pump liner 15 within which a rotor I6 is adapted to be driven. The pump casing H is provided with an intake I! and an outlet I8 for connecting the pump in a fuel line to an engine, or other point to which fuel is to be delivered.

Since the construction of the pump proper forms no part of the instant invention and is already described in my copending applications Serial Nos. 397,763, filed June 12, 1941, now Patent No. 2,353,545, July 11, 1944, and 512,891, filed December 4, 1943, no detailed description of the pump construction is necessary here. It is sufficient merely to point out that a relief and bypass valve assembly, indicated generally by the reference numeral I (Fig. 2) is adapted to be assembled within the valve housing 12, and that between said valve housing and said cover l3 therefor there is peripherally clamped a fiexible diaphragm l9, which bears directly against the upper edge of said valve assembly I80.

A stamped metal washer 20 is above said diaphragm I9 to rest thereagainst with its downwardly offset peripheral portion 2! in contact with said diaphragm l9. Said disk 20 is further formed with a semi-spherical, centrally depressed portion 22 for receiving a ball 23. A second stamped metal disk 24 is formed with a complementary semi-spherical portion 25 which partially receives said ball 23 to be centered thereby. Said disk 24 is also provided with a downwardly olfset peripheral flange 26 which forms a seat for the bottom turn of a regulating spring 2'! for adjusting the pressure against said diaphragm 19.

The diaphragm adjusting and pressure regulating mechanism includes a screw 28, which is adapted to extend through an opening 29 centrally positioned in the top of said cover l3. Said screw 28 is provided with an integral collar 30, between which and the underside of the cover i3 is positioned a gasket 32. A check nut 33 serves to draw the collar 33 and gasket 32 tightly up against the under surface of the top wall of said cover 13 to provide a fluid-proof seal. A disk washer 34 is centrally apertured as-at 35 for per; mitting 'the free passage theret'hrough of 'sai'd screw 28. The washer 34 is provided with a segmental spherical portion 36 surrounding said aperture 35 and with an outwardly extending peripheral flange 31. Said flange 3i issldttedas-at 38 to permit the entry thereinto of *long-itudignally extending ribs 39 formed on the inside of the wall of said cover [3. The provisions *of the slots 38 and ribs 39 prevents the turning of said Washer 34 relatively to the valve housing cover 13. The outer peripheral flange 3] affords a seat for theiipp'er end of said spring '2 A nut it is threadingly mounted upon said 28 for movement therealo'ng "said screw -28 turned. Said nut "in is provided with a lower end M which is tapered or formed "with a radius to serve as a bearing face in Contact with "thesegm'ehtal spherical portion 33 of said washer 34. Owing to the segmental spherical curvaor said portion '36 and t e fact that the washer aperture 35 is s'u'fiiciently large -to proe a clearance about the shank of the screw "zsfsaid washer 34has'a limited amoiirit df seriiis't'nierit through tilting movement relative to said crew :3. The hut in is 'ai-so provided with ah'diitwarm extending peripheral flange 42, one

edge of which "is slotted as at 4'3 (Fig. 4) a I A ta'hg'fl l is struck up from the'w'asher 34 and the n it'az and washers i sb positioned that said tang "44 extends through the slot 43. The interfeiigag'eiherit "of the tang id with't'he sides of the slot t3 prevents relative rotation between the nut nejariai he washer 3'4. I, y

In order 'tope'rihit external adjustment of the "adjusting and regulating mechanism just de- I scribed, the screw 28 is provided at its ;uppe 1 -exjp'ds'e'd are "with a screwdriver slot 45. Upon loosening the lock lqplt 33 slightly, the operator ca'n'turn'the screw 28 by iriserting a screwdriver in the slot {55 and thereby effect the desired adjustment. If thescrew 2B is turned in one direction, 'the nut it is caused to move downwardly therealohg to effect a greater compression of the spring 27, while if thescrew is turned in the op p'o'site direction the nut 40 is'caused to move -upyvardlyto'lessen thecbmpression upon the spring 2 1. The provision of the segmental bearing surface of the portion 36 and of the tapered portion "4! o'it'h'e hut'li} permits, as previously indicated, a'certain'amount or self adjustment of the washer 34 to accommbdate any tendency of theupper end of said'spri ng 21 to become deflected as the spring is either compressed or allowed'to expand. Similarly, the ball 2-3 betweenthe disks 20-and 24 permits the disk 24 to 'have a 'limited amount of self 'adjustability to accommodate anydefiection of'the lower end of said spring -21. By virtue of these provisions, trulyaxial forces only aretransmitted from said spring and washer assembly through the ball '25 to the lower disk -29 and thereby to the diaphragm l9. All other components of the forces set up by the compression placed'upon the spring 21 are dissipated orneu- 4 tralized by the ability of the washer 34 and disk 24 to adjust themselves to accommodate all nonaxial components of such forces.

The diaphragm l9 may thus be placed under the desired amount of pressure to cause the relief valve in the by-pass relief valve assembly I80 to operate satisfactorily under the varying conditions to which it may be subjected.

It will thus be observed thati have provided an "improved pfess'ure ieg uIatirig aria adjusting mechanism that is capable of delicate adjustment to give exactly the desired pressure upon the diaphragm and one in which all but truly axial componeiits 'df the forces set up are either dissipated orneutra lized by virtue of the self-adjusting features of the washers that serve to confine the swag.

It will, of course, be understood that various de airs of construction may be varied through a widerange without departing from the principles 6f this invention 'an'tl it is, tl'irefdfe, riot the puriapse to iiihii; *th'e iii-tent granted hereon etherwise thaiijrie'ces'si'tate'd by the scope "of the appende'dtilairh.

What I claim is: r

In a spring urged diaphragm "assembly eluding inverted hub-sha e; easing, means for adjusting the pressure -df the spring "comprising a shouldered r'od having an up er end exten ing retatably {through the top r said hasi'ng axially 'ther'eor with t e show de'r "thereof eh- "gaging the anaemia-e "off said "casing top and "having a threaded ent within said casing, the int'rn'a'l "wall of said casing having fldngitudinaily extending opposed ribs, "'a centrall 'ape'rtured washr freely :fiidiiiited on said rod for confining "one "end of said spring, s'aid "washer having an upwardljy cbiieave s'egr'rrental sfpherical "portion sun-minding and aperture and having an upper peripheral fiali g'e portion slo't'te'cl to receive "said ribs to -';ire veht relative rat-anon or said washer with respect-to'said"easing, and a "nut threaded o'n 's'aidfiod and having "a 'itwer cphvex 'en'd raee for hearing against said segmental "spherical p'ortio'n toprovide swivelling and tilting movement'therebetween, said having a peripheral slotted flange and =-said washer having a tang "struck there'fro'fn ha iftndirig into "the slot er said flange to preventrelativerdtation'of sai'd'nut and washer :while'pifovidingffdr -relative tilting action therebetwin, wherepy by turning "said rod said i'it'it acts'thrb'ilgh said washer to adjust the "cornpression' of s'e'iid s ring, 1 said convex nu't end face ah'd said sg-hfhtal spherical portion providing self-adjustment of said washer under the reaction thereagaih'st o'f "said spring.

iviremzirin @ASERTA.

REFERENCES CITED The renewing references are of retire in 'the 'file 6f this seem UNr-TE'D STATES PATENTS 

